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Aviation Board selects team to build new terminal: What's next?

new airport terminal announced

People gather at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport for the unveiling of plans for a new airport terminal in Kenner Thursday, January 16, 2014 (Photo by Brett Duke, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Now that the Aviation Board has settled on a team to build its new $546 million terminal at Louis Armstrong International Airport, all that's left is to iron out a contract, said the board's director, Iftikhar Ahmad. When that's done, the design process will ramp up, and construction should be underway sometime in the summer of 2015, he said.

The board on Thursday (Aug. 21) voted to follow the recommendation of its Review Committee and award the terminal contract to Hunt-Gibbs-Boh-Metro, a team of construction and engineering teams united to perform as the construction manager at-risk on the project. As the construction manager at-risk, the team will have ultimate responsibility for the project, including the bidding out and management of subcontracts.

It is also responsible for seeing the project done on time and on budget. The at-risk portion of their job title means they are on the hook for any overages or delays.

Representatives for Hunt-Gibbs said unequivocally that, despite a two-month delay caused by a rocky contract selection process, they will see the project completed by the target date of March 2018.

Ahmad's tone was more measured. Asked if he was confident that the deadline would be met, he said, "I'm confident that our team will work very hard toward that goal."

The board's action Thursday marks a mile post in its rocky procurement process for the terminal contract, but it may not be the end of the road.

Hunt-Gibbs was awarded the contract under protest from NOLA Airport Builders, which had won a previous selection process only to see it thrown out by the Aviation Board.

As NOLA Airport Builders argued their protest Thursday, it implied that litigation was imminent.

Attorney Jim Moye, who represented the team, during the proceedings said in his remarks that the board "might conclude" that a lawsuit was inevitable regardless of whom the board awarded the contract to. However, he said, the board wouldn't be in a position to defend a lawsuit filed by the NOLA Airport Builders team.

Moye said that the Review Committee improperly abused its authority in recommending Hunt-Gibbs. Among other things, he cited a lack of documentation demonstrating relevant experience for several of Hunt-Gibbs' key personnel, documentation that was required under the Aviation Board's own selection criteria.

The Aviation Board, however, said that the Review Committee had acted properly and that NOLA Airport Builders had failed to prove that the committee had abused the wide discretion that it was granted under Louisiana law.

Ahmad was sanguine about the prospect of a lawsuit. "If they want to do that, that's fine, they are free to do that," he said. The Aviation Board conducted the selection process in the open, and above board, he said.

"We had public meetings. Everyone was allowed to have input," Ahmad said.